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Composing Chamber Music: Crossing Standards and Streets for Vertical Connections

Ah, midterm season. The time of year when I end up doing more grading than at any other point in the school year. Just the thought of it makes me....

Is it worth it? Absolutely. But have I been spinning my wheels when there is a better way? Also absolutely. For what it's worth, I'm writing down my thoughts here to make sure I do it the better way when this season rolls around again next year.


Will you be my accountabilibuddy?

Context: For the last 4-5 years my middle school colleague, Amy Rever, and I have teamed up for a year-long chamber music project. It starts with me teaching the basics of chords, harmony, and progression to my HS students to create warm-ups and mini-chorales early on in the year, and makes its way to a composition project where each of my HS students composes a short (16-32 measure) piece of chamber music to be learned by the MS students that feed into my HS. These pieces are due at the midterm mark so that they can then be passed out across the street to the MS students, who then form groups, select one of the pieces, and perform it at our big Chamber Music Night in the Park in the spring. For many of the MS students, this is their first exposure to chamber music. It gives them a gentle, relaxed, low-pressure opportunity to stand up in the local band shell, play a short piece written by a HS student with their friends, and have a picnic with their families while the other students are playing. It's really a lovely evening, and it's very cool for the MS students to get to meet the composers of their pieces too. (I love when the MS students ask the HS students for autographs on their sheet music!)

But come midterm season, it makes for a LOT of grading with very little turn around time for corrections, edits, and final grades due for report cards. I have to check each composition for correct keys, transpositions, correct number of files, playability/accessibility, and more... it makes for a very concentrated headache with very little opportunity for me to actually help students before I need to turn in my semester grades for report cards. That is until I figured out it doesn't have to be this way.


Next year, I want to do more of a "writing workshop" approach, but with composition. If student's compositions (first drafts) are due earlier on before midterm grades are due, then we can take more time leading up to the end of the semester to have designated days for students to peer edit, ask me questions, get help with transposing for multiple instruments, and more. The more I think about it, the more excited I get... and the more I can't believe I didn't think of this before. 

If you have any experience with composing in the large ensemble setting, or conducting "writing workshops" in your classroom, I would love to brainstorm with you ways to help make my new idea even more successful for next year! Please reach out-- I look forward to hearing from you!


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